Erikson’s 8 Stages involve interactions among

biology, psychological abilities,

and social influences.

During each stage there

is a life crisis, that is, a

crucial period during

which the individual

turn one way or the other.

Each stage provides pivotal

opportunities for personality

qualities or ego strengths and

virtues to develop interactively.

Erikson’s theory of personality development asserts that people move through eight stages during their lives. Each stage brings a psychosocial crisis or conflict that needs to be resolved interactively. Each involves confronting a question such as, “Who am I and where am I going?” The stages are described above in terms of personality traits that are potential outcomes from handling these crises.

How many traits are there?

Are There “Basic” Traits?

Trait models analyze personality in terms of basic dimensions. McCrae and Costa maintain that personality can be described using five higher-order traits which are widely referred to as the “Big Five.”